The trailer for Rajkummar Rao’s Omerta has hit the internet.
The trailer for the upcoming film Omerta has just dropped online and once again Rajkummar Rao has managed to bowl us over with his stellar act. Based on the real-life story of British terrorist of Pakistani descent Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, this Hansal Mehta directorial looks like a spine-chilling exploration of the makings of a terrorist.
The trailer opens with some random shots of a brooding Rao and a voiceover warning him to hold sway over his emotions. We then witness Rajkummar in action, making discrete phone calls, working to make himself physically fit and disguising himself under the name of Rohit Verma in front of the police.
There comes a point in the latter part of the video when someone asks Rajkummar, “Who are you?” and owning the screen, he retorts “I am the saviour.” Like all his other roles, looks like Rajkummar has put his heart and soul into this one too. His bearded spectacled look, his accent, his demeanour and even the way he is carrying himself around, speak volumes about his craft.
Shot around London and India, Omerta features some of the deadliest terror attacks the world has witnessed in recent history, including the 1994 Delhi Kidnappings, the 9/11 World Trade Centre attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike. Omar Saeed’s brutal beheading of the American journalist Daniel Pearl is also a part of Omerta.
“Omerta is among the most researched films that I have worked on till date. We actually visited some of the places frequented by Omar in London during his transformation from an LSE graduation student to becoming this deadly terrorist. I needed to feel and touch this man’s past – to ingest him. It was not an easy journey for me to take. With Omerta and Hansal Sir, we have a combination that will probably leave you stunned. There will be this moment of shock and silence as the end credits roll,” said Rajkummar Rao at the Omerta trailer launch.
Rajkummar Rao in a still from Omerta.
Director Hansal Mehta said, “Omerta takes a look at this complex paradox of a man called Omar Saeed Sheikh. It was a difficult subject to choose and a challenge to make. However, with an actor like Rajkummar, no challenge seems insurmountable and this was the ideal film to hurtle us out of our comfort zone to make something that is uncomfortable. But that is the burden of truth – it is uncomfortable and it must be faced. The film looks at what it means to be a fundamentalist and for someone to pick up a gun with the intent of killing in return for an afterlife in Paradise. I want to leave the viewer with a sense of awe, disgust, hate, surprise and let them examine the ramifications of these events on their lives today.”
Omerta has won several accolades and was even featured at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was also screened at the Jio MAMI Film Festival. Omerta brings back the formidable actor-director duo of Mehta and Rajkummar, who have worked together in films like Aligarh, CityLights and Shahid.
Produced by Swiss Entertainment in association with Karma Media, the film is slated to hit the theatres on April 20.